John Kesler ushers in a family feel for the Long Island Ducks

John Kesler was wiping down two rain-soaked field box seats for James Alessi and his 3-year-old, Sofia. Dad and daughter were at Fairfield Properties Ballpark to catch the Ducks-Gastonia Ghost Peppers game from the second row of Section 104, looking out at home plate.

Alessi wore a Mets cap and he stopped to admire the ink work on Kesler’s Mets-related tattoo.

The symbol of the usher’s fandom sat on his left calf, a big blue interlocking NY with an orange outline — a $400 gift from his son, John Jr., and his daughter, Jennifer, for his 64th birthday in February.

“Birthday presents shouldn’t hurt,” Kesler said playfully to Alessi.

Kesler is a big Ducks fan as well. He wears his orange windbreaker and green and orange Ducks cap and works three sections of lower-bowl seats at their stadium in Central Islip. He calls it “prime real estate,” an area that stretches from behind the backstop to halfway behind the first-base dugout.

He’s part of the fan-friendly charm of this place, ushering in good feelings as a beloved member of the Ducks family.

The Atlantic League franchise is having a happy 25th anniversary season and Kesler is having a happy 24th as an usher.

“Having somebody like John, who is warm and welcoming and a happy person with a good disposition, is invaluable to our operation,” team president/chief business officer Michael Pfaff said.

The retired fire rescue dispatcher and firefighter from West Islip does give off natural warmth.

“Hi, how are you guys?” Kesler said to some fans coming down the steps on this mid-May evening. “Can I help you to your seats?”

He wipes those seats, greets the paying public, checks tickets, escorts those who want assistance to their location, points those who don’t in the right direction, moves people who are in someone else’s seat, carries bags for elderly fans and chats with others.

He also stands guard by the Ducks’ dugout between half innings to prevent fans from seeking autographs from the pros, summons help if first aid is needed, answers questions — “John, where’s the closest bathroom?” — and watches some baseball.

“There we go. Come on. Come on in,” Kesler said, clapping his hands when JC Encarnacion scored after Cody Thomas rifled a single into right in the home first.

A few innings later, Kesler was standing on the steps between Section 104 and Section 106 when an 11-year-old boy from Holbrook walked down with a ball, seeking Kesler’s autograph.

“You really want me to do this?” Kesler asked Colten McGregor. “I’m actually an usher. You’re sure about this?”

McGregor was sure, and soon his 10-year-old friend from Holbrook, Bradley Vesia, also got Kesler’s autograph on a ball.

“I love the game of baseball,” Kesler was saying a few hours earlier, sitting in a booth up in the press box, flashing back to the beginning in 2001. “My wife [Denise] said to me, ‘Go, put an application in.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I definitely want to do it.’

“I came to the job fair. I was in a suit. I believe I was the only guy in a suit. Most guys were here in shorts and baseball hats and all that. My dad [John] always said to me, ‘Dress to impress.’ They hired me and I’ve been here ever since. I get asked back. I love it here. It’s a great organization to work for. The fans are friendly. It’s affordable. … People love coming here.”

Family time

More than 9 million fans have come dating to day one, which leads Kesler to his favorite part of the job.

“Interacting with the fans,” he said. “I’ve been here a long time. I know most of the season-ticket holders in my section. I’ve been to a few of their weddings. We have each other’s phone numbers. It’s a family.”

Over in Section 109, by the far side of the third-base dugout, Joe and Terry Kutschera had just arrived for the game. The retired couple from Mastic are season-ticket holders, Row H, Seats 1 and 2.

The Kutscheras got married in 2015. Kesler was indeed a face in the crowd at the since-demolished Mediterranean Manor in Patchogue, an invited guest for the wedding.

“Because when we first started coming here, John was the usher in both our sections, and he’s a great guy,” Terry said. “We just became friends and then kind of became somewhat friends on the outside. When he retired from the fire department, we went. He was just such a good guy. We were friends with him and his wife.

“We’ve been here for 19 years, and this is our second family. And John became part of our second family.”

Pfaff, a Manhasset native and Sayville resident who started working for the Ducks in 2002, knows this friendly guy represents what they are all about.

“He’s not just an exemplary employee,” Pfaff said, “but an exemplary human being that really understands what it means to be part of the Ducks organization, being a part of the fabric of the community and really interacting with your community essentially on a nightly basis and doing so in a positive way.”

Born in Queens, Kesler moved to West Islip when he was 7. He still lives in his boyhood home. He was a sprinter for West Islip High and played the drums in the band.

He then worked as a dispatcher in West Islip for 40 years until retiring in 2023.

An older gentleman came to the firehouse one summer day with his carbon monoxide detector. It was beeping.

“Just so you know, sir, you’re supposed to stay at home,” Kesler said. “We’re supposed to bring the trucks to you. You don’t bring the alarm here.”

“And he had a good laugh over that,” Kesler said.

Kesler also fought fires — like his late dad and now his son — with West Islip’s volunteer crew for about 33 years until he suffered a heart attack.

Now he assists the firefighters in any way needed, even if it’s just bringing them beverages. So it’s a 47-year run with the department.

“I’m still active,” Kesler said, “but I don’t go into fires anymore.”

He remembers fighting some intense ones, like when a row of stores were ablaze in North Babylon.

“If you’re not fearful, you’re not doing it the right way,” Kesler said.

Duck for life

There’s less risk now, maybe just from an occasional foul ball’s descent.

“Whenever I get to see John here, it just feels like another great season of baseball waiting to happen,” said Tim Keenan, a 21-year season-ticket holder from Holbrook. “If he’s not too busy at some point, he’s always willing to talk.

“And like me, he’s also a great Dolphin fan. So we get to commiserate about the Dolphins every year. It’s always fun.”

There’s only one chance to make a good first impression. Kesler did with Alessi. And not just with the tattoo.

“Very nice guy,” the fan from Islip said. “I wish I had a couple of bucks to give him. I’ve only got my debit card with me.”

Kesler isn’t here for the tips, though.

He’s a Mets season-ticket holder, but he has rarely missed a Ducks day. He hasn’t been absent for a home date since Sept. 29, 2018, when David Wright played his last game at Citi Field.

So how much longer does Kesler want to be among the Ducks?

“Forever,” he said. “I get paid to watch baseball. It’s for the love of the game.”